We’d reported in March that Microsoft is rumored to be planning to launch xBox Live in September. Now, Mohit Anand, Country Manager India for Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division, is reported to have confirmed the launch of xBox live in September, a year after the console was launched in India. We’ve been unable to get a response from MS since March - recent calls to Ashim Mathur, Marketing Head of MS Entertainment and Devices Division were not returned.

It’s strange that MS is planning to launch xBox Live this late. A hacked Xbox360 with a 20 GB hard drive costs between Rs 20,000 and Rs 23,000, while the official price for India is higher with the added import duty and VAT - so xBox Live would have been reason enough to buy the original. Xbox Live wouldn’t just serve as a multiplayer environment for gaming - the Internet connectivity will allow Microsoft to override hacks in the DVD drive, deliver upgrades to improve the performance of the console, and supply patches for games. MS recently admitted that the Xbox 360 has hardware problems and the company is expected to take a hit of $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion for repairs globally - we couldn’t get a confirmation on whether there are issues in India as well.

Tech2 also reports that Halo 3 will be launched on September 24th and 25th. The Standard Edition will be priced at Rs. 1895.